Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 05/Jan 00:44

Bermuda Survivor – Review

We have recently covered quite a few Survivors titles, and we’ve come to the point where we are not really expecting anything ‘original’ on offer in this specific genre. We have played quite a few interesting ones, such as the recently released Night Swarm, but the market is getting oversaturated with similar titles. We expected the same for the subject of today’s review, Bermuda Survivor, but we were actually treated to a fairly different experience here. Bermuda Survivor focuses more on its setting, its exploration, and user input, rather than many other traditional Survivors-like titles, where it’s about randomized runs and automatic combat. Story As the name already implies, the game will take place in the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, where you are sadly stranded after a shipwreck. You don’t really know what’s going on, but all the other crew members are missing, and it’s up to you to find them and hopefully make it out in one piece. There is not much more information given than this at the beginning, which we didn’t necessarily mind. The story progression also depends on your skill level, because if you perish a lot before exploring new areas, you probably won’t encounter any of the missing crew members. Even so, we still appreciated having something ‘story’ related to strive towards. Graphics Bermuda Survivor utilizes pixelated retro visuals for every aspect of the experience. You’ll be treated to retro-infused character designs, monster designs, and a fairly expansive map that slowly opens up as you progress through the game. The animations are extremely fluid, which is nice considering the overall old-school aesthetics. There is a reasonable amount of variety in the sceneries, and there is some enemy diversity too. The attack animations aren’t too shabby either, but the game does lose some of its charm when you have to redo segments over and over again, as there are no randomized stage layouts here. Sound The overall sound design isn’t too bad. The music is fairly captivating and does set the atmosphere for the somewhat haunting environment you’ll find yourself in. The SFX pack a reasonable punch, and they give good audio feedback for the onscreen action. While some of the audioscape here is a bit limited, Bermuda Survivor does feel fairly polished in this regard. The game also has a bit of voice acting, almost reminiscent of one-liners that would not be out of place in a title such as Duke Nukem. While the latter didn’t immediately blow us out of the water, it was a nice touch nonetheless. Gameplay Bermuda Survivor is a bullet hell survivor title, albeit with a lot more manual gameplay components compared to titles such as Vampire Survivors. In Bermuda Survivor, you’ll be playing on a fixed map where you’ll have to survive as long as possible to progress further on subsequent runs. With the fixed map, you’ll eventually know where to go and where to explore to find more upgrades or to simply get access to new zones. The overall offset is fairly straightforward, but you’ll probably struggle at the beginning to know what is actually expected of you. After a while, however, things start opening up more, making everything more clear. Some components are similar to other Survivors-like games, such as being offered random upgrades when leveling up, but other than that, the game does have its own identity. Combat is more akin to that of a game such as Hades, as you’ll have to manually aim, attack, and dodge, rather than rely on automated attacks. This also means that the experience is a bit more difficult if you’re used to titles such as Nordic Ashes or Vampire Survivors. Even so, mastering dodges and simply learning how to time attacks is very satisfying. Of course, a good run often still depends on what level upgrades you get offered. All in all, it’s a pleasant gameplay loop, even when you’re probably somewhat struggling at the beginning of the game. Conclusion Bermuda Survivor is a fun and fresh take on the bullet hell genre, albeit one that is a bit unclear at the beginning. Even so, when you find your bearings, you’ll be treated to an interesting gameplay loop, intense combat, and a reasonable amount of unlockable items to keep you entertained for a while. Having a fixed map did make things easier for the concept of Bermuda Survivor, as it focuses more on exploration and its setting rather than offering randomized runs. There is a clearer goal here, which is something we appreciated a lot. If you’re looking for an interesting bullet hell survivor title, then this one is certainly worth checking out.